Total FWIW, but I recommend this one. Trio fests like this can be an acquired taste, and even at their best, they're like ice cream. A big bowl is nice every now and then, but a steady diet will make you sick. This one certainly has chops and all the "because I can" you'd ever want, but there are some rich compositions and some really nice ensemble moments. Beller's playing is fantastic, his tone is lick-your-chops awesome, and he is undeniably the glue that keeps things together. I confess to not being a big Minnemann fan - he's like the next-gen Weckl to my ears. Insane chops, beautifully tuned drums, and a remarkable unwillingness to hold a groove for longer than two seconds before the next indulgence. However, all of that reinforces just how strong Beller is in the bass chair. The other big takeaway for me is this Govan cat...he's nuts. Beyond bits and pieces, this recording is my first opportunity to really enjoy his playing. Dashes of Satriani, Henderson, Stern, Scofield, but a huge individual voice...wow.

Total FWIW, but I recommend this one. Trio fests like this can be an acquired taste, and even at their best, they're like ice cream. A big bowl is nice every now and then, but a steady diet will make you sick. This one certainly has chops and all the "because I can" you'd ever want, but there are some rich compositions and some really nice ensemble moments. Beller's playing is fantastic, his tone is lick-your-chops awesome, and he is undeniably the glue that keeps things together. I confess to not being a big Minnemann fan - he's like the next-gen Weckl to my ears. Insane chops, beautifully tuned drums, and a remarkable unwillingness to hold a groove for longer than two seconds before the next indulgence. However, all of that reinforces just how strong Beller is in the bass chair. The other big takeaway for me is this Govan cat...he's nuts. Beyond bits and pieces, this recording is my first opportunity to really enjoy his playing. Dashes of Satriani, Henderson, Stern, Scofield, but a huge individual voice...wow.

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Boy, you totally read my mind on the drummer there, Jerry. Given all the craziness that he and GG bring to the project, I think Beller does a really nice job of laying back and keeping it together. He has some spots where he cuts loose, but for the most part he's grooving in spite of the frenetic drumming. And some of the bass tones he gets gave me chills - I'd get a serious case of I-WANT-THAT-TONE-itous.

Just in case you guys haven't seen this before, this is how I first stumbled upon Guthrie Govan, this is some interesting commentary from Lee Ritenour. The section discussing Guthrie begins at about the 5:00 minute mark (Vinnie Colaiuto and Tal Wilkenfeld also make appearances)

I'm definitely going to see the band when they come to NYC. I saw Bryan Beller a few years ago with Mike Keneally and loved it.
Its a Wed. night and on the early side at this really cool room call Hiro Ballroom. This whole place is covered in Japanese lanterns and unique orient decor. HIRO at The Maritime Hotel â¢ NEW YORK NY

Hey, Cory. Cool! Thanks for catching that eBay listing. We have to manually unlist those when we sell stuff, and we only bat about 95% on that... we sometimes get so excited when we sell an item that we lose our minds!

Hey, Cory. Cool! Thanks for catching that eBay listing. We have to manually unlist those when we sell stuff, and we only bat about 95% on that... we sometimes get so excited when we sell an item that we lose our minds!